The majority of those who participated were of Arab origins coming from Syria, Yemen, Egypt, and many more. Many of the participants were first timers, but that did not prevent them from perfecting many of their jokes. Tackling the stereotypes of their homeland, they brought tears of laughter to a crowd from both the East and West. The jokes were mainly in English but some Arabic and Turkish phrases were spoken every now and then, making it a truly international event.
Bahaa Dabbagh, 27, a participant in the event, described his experience as "excitingly fresh."
“This was my very first time doing stand-up comedy. It was very exciting,” he said.
Bahaa, a Syrian from Aleppo, talked about the stress of leaving a whole different reality behind him and making a new one here.
“Of course the reality here is much different from the one in Syria, incomparable. When my friends were besieged in East Aleppo, I was depressed. My friends here would encourage me to try new things and socialize; they were very supportive,” he said.
“I want people to know that Syrians are not violent people, most of us love life and love to laugh,” he added.
Along with Bahaa and most of the performers, it was also the first time for Bisher al-Hasan to do stand-up comedy.
A Syrian from Aleppo as well, the 24 year-old explained that he received so much support and encouragement that “the experience just brings a positive feeling.”
Bisher has been volunteering with Istanbul&I since the summer of 2016. He explained that majority of those who benefit from its events are Syrians living in Istanbul.
Bahaa added that Istanbul&I is primarily focused on promoting volunteering and that “I, as a Syrian, found it very fitting for myself to join and be a part of it.”
“We do a lot of events and we would use all the money we raise to fund initiatives for the Syrian refugees,” Bahaa said.
Bisher stressed on the importance of having Syrian volunteers in this organization which tries to bridge the Turkish and European people with the Syrian refugees. “From translation to explaining the Syrian culture, we are here to connect different worlds together.”
He explained that they have events all year-round and that “every week we have an event with the Syrian scouts. We provide them with English language courses and music and computer classes.”
“We do workshops on how someone can improve and use their own skills to positively impact their own society.”
Both Bisher and Bahaa stressed on the importance of Syrians engaging in their host countries and inviting more people to understand who the Syrians really are.
Even though it was their first time doing stand-up comedy but the laughter they brought to the crowd proved that it is never too late to pick up a new hobby, no matter what the circumstances are.
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